The invention relates to a magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus having a deck for playing magnetic-tape cassettes, which comprises a loading mechanism including a cassette holder adapted to receive a magnetic-tape cassette and having a holder wall which guides a cassette wall and which carries laterally projecting pins, which pins are guided in lift slots in a lift slide, which slots are inclined relative to the vertical, to lower the cassette holder (23) into a play position and to lift said holder into an eject position, the lift slots being formed in a lift wall of the lift slide, which is movable between a forward and a backward end position, which carries along the cassette holder over a part of its path of movement, and which is movably guided in a parallel first and a second rail on the deck plate of the apparatus.
Such a magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus with a deck for playing magnetic-tape cassettes and having a cassette loading mechanism is known from DE 39 14 789 A1 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,573. The cassette loading mechanism includes a lift slide which is guided on rails so as to be movable in the direction of insertion of the cassettes. The lift slide has a cassette holder which basically comprises two spaced-apart guide plates arranged one above the other in horizontal planes and interconnected by a vertical guide wall. The vertical guide wall carries outwardly projecting pins extending through lift slots in the lift slide. The lift slots are inclined relative to the vertical.
The cassette holder is lifted and lowered in a slot in an external supporting plate, through which the pins also extend. The cassette holder is moved up and down between a play position and an eject position by a relative movement between the lift slide and the cassette holder.
For a proper contact of the magnetic tape with the sound head it is necessary to pay special attention to the guidance of the cassette in the loading mechanism.